


unleashed——ᡷ

by sonshineandshowers



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen, Humor, Strapped to a bomb, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonshineandshowers/pseuds/sonshineandshowers
Summary: "I'm a bomb?" Malcolm giggled. Malcolm's left at the precinct with the threat that he may blow.Spoilers through 1x20.For Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt Strapped to a Bomb.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 67
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	1. Chapter 1

“Gil, _emergency_ , I’m outside the precinct,” Malcolm’s voice rushed over the phone before Gil could greet him.

Malcolm’s use of a word that actually reflected a situation’s urgency had Gil snapping his fingers for JT and Dani to be quiet in the conference room. "What's going on, Bright?" Gil’s brow furrowed.

"I'm a bomb?" With a little giggle on the end Gil wanted to curse.

"Excuse me?" JT and Dani held the same concerned looks as Gil’s voice was weighed down by fear dropping to his stomach.

“Kablewy. Kaboom.”

"We need bomb squad. Out front. _Now_ ,” Gil ordered the room.

They shot out of the building to find Malcolm.

* * *

When they got to the top of the stairs, Malcolm held his arm out at them to stay back. All the people already cleared from the area, Malcolm was a lonely landmark on the sidewalk at the base of the stairs. _Danger, Elevation: 33’_. Soon to be less so if they couldn’t get the situation under control.

“Stay back,” Malcolm demanded.

“Any idea what we’re working with?” JT called.

Malcolm shook his head.

“Bright, for god’s sakes stay still,” Gil barked, fighting the urge to pace.

“They left me here,” Malcolm indicated.

Gil’s eyes traced the black straps that came over both of Malcolm’s shoulders and locked in the front, squeezing his suit jacket together in a rumpled mess. Followed them over to a backpack nestled high on his spine, in easy blast radius to his head.

“Hit me hard enough to knock me out. Might have a concussion,” Malcolm continued, not the steadiest looking man on his feet. Malcolm couldn’t stand still on a good day, never mind after being clocked.

“Do have a concussion,” Gil corrected, knowing any loss of consciousness made those odds very favorable. Not that Malcolm would ever admit it.

Malcolm tipped his hand from side to side, making the fluffy top of the backpack a little more visible.

“Can we save the argument for when he’s not going to remodel the precinct?” JT requested, sharing a challenging glare with Gil.

Gil took several steps to the side to try to spy what contraption Malcolm had been forced to carry. If Malcolm moved his shoulders just right, Gil could just about see the whole thing.

“You guys should go back inside,” Malcolm indicated.

“Not a chance,” JT said firmly.

Gil looked for anything they could do from the distance, but there wasn’t much beyond waiting.

“I’m coming to get your phone — don’t want you triggering anything,” Dani said, having other ideas. Gil and JT exchanged protests through her, but she walked anyway.

“Dani,” Malcolm whined, opposing her decision.

Dani stopped on the stairs a few feet from Malcolm, reaching out to take his phone from his hand. Malcolm’s lips moved, saying something Gil couldn’t hear, and then Dani immediately turned around. "You got your wish, boss," Dani commented on the walk back to a respectable distance.

"The bomb or the leash?" Malcolm added.

"No jokes," Gil demanded. He wasn't going to explain to Malcolm's mother his last words had been _boom_.

Resting against Malcolm’s charcoal suit was a black and white plush bag perked between his shoulder blades, a replica of a panda stuffed animal with a long, black length of woven cording emerging from it.

“Did you get walked here?” JT asked, Gil failing to suppress a groan, not having the peace of mind to know whether JT was joking or trying to get more information to help them.

“One of those white vans,” Malcolm corrected.

“Last text says _you’re a bomb_ — ” Dani read off of Malcolm’s phone.

“Think we got that part,” JT snipped, interrupting.

“ _Tell your friends goodbye_ ,” Dani finished.

Gil’s eyes widened in horror as Malcolm plummeted face first into the stairs in a raucous backpack explosion. Smoke grew from his back like exhaust, occupying the space he had stood. The eruption filled the air with a vile plume of glitter.

Glitter?

Confetti?

“ _Bright!_ “ Gil yelled, attempting to charge forward, yet held back by JT’s strong arm in front of him.

Glints of purple, blue, yellow, green — every color of the rainbow flittered back to the concrete. The party clashed with the view of Malcolm unmoving on the stairs. Where Gil had expected to see hundreds of bloody pieces, there was one, _very_ prone Malcolm.

Malcolm’s phone buzzed in Dani’s palm. _It’s a celebration!_

The panda head had landed on one of the stairs a bit worse for wear, stuffing partially blown out of it, ear tattered, one eye gazing back at them.

“‘mk,” Malcolm’s voice came out garbled in the concrete.

“ _Do not move!_ “ Gil roared, JT and Dani right beside him, ready to catch in case he decided to make a run for Malcolm again.

For once, Malcolm listened.

“Where the fuck are they?” Gil seethed to JT.

“Ungh,” came out of the Malcolm heap.

“Bright, I know it hurts. A few minutes, and the whole thing will be off you,” Dani encouraged.

And neutralized by bomb disposal. Gil rubbed his forehead, willing them to come faster.

As if his positive thoughts had worked, bomb squad arrived, and he could hear an ambulance pull up and wait down the street for the all clear.

After thorough assessment of the situation, bomb squad had the straps cut off of Malcolm’s shoulders within minutes and the remains of the pack whisked away to be analyzed or detonated. Gil wasn’t sure which — didn’t know if Malcolm had been lucky and more was supposed to blow. _Lucky, yeah,_ he reminded himself as his stomach toiled over Malcolm barely moving on the concrete.

Only then could the paramedics enter. They reached Malcolm at the same time as Gil, JT and Dani letting him go as soon as it was safe. “’st concuss’,” Malcolm mumbled into the concrete.

His usual spot of Malcolm’s shoulders or neck now burn marks in his suit, Gil took his trembling hand.

“’s ’s ‘il,” Malcolm spoke, but Gil had no idea what he was saying.

“You’re okay, kid.” He took a deep breath and continued. “These paramedics are going to get you to the hospital.”

* * *

“He has a severe concussion. Minor burns.” Gil rubbed the ducts of his eyes and dropped back into his chair. “They’ll get me as soon as we can see him.”

“Bomb squad says no remote detonator. Voice activated,” JT updated Gil. "Small pyrotechnic shit."

“The text?” Gil recalled.

Dani nodded, pressing her lips together between her teeth.

“Nothing we would have known,” Gil attempted to assuage any guilt that they may have felt, yet he knew it was a losing battle. He had a whole stomachful himself.

The three of them camped out in a quiet corner of the waiting room, Dani writing on her phone and JT texting back and forth with Tally. Gil kept staring at the wall, reliving the moment the panda’s head had popped off and how close they had been to losing Malcolm.

“Boss — second opinion on the blanket?” JT nudged the arm of Gil’s chair and showed his phone to Gil.

Slanted grey and white stripes — it looked soft enough. “Don’t want cats or ducks or some other kind of cute animal?” Gil commented.

JT gestured his hand in front of him. “That’s what I said.”

“Anything will work, really. Sometimes they just show up and you make do.”

JT scrolled through other blanket options on his phone.

“Like the rattiest comforter you ever saw. Wrapped himself up until you couldn’t even see his eyes,” Gil reminisced.

JT paused his searching. “His favorite?”

“Only thing he’d calm down in until he let Jackie hold him.” Gil gave a sad smile, thinking of both of them. A youth the kid had lost and a wife he had lost — they couldn’t have either back.

“He’s gonna be fine, Gil,” Dani reassured, pausing her taps on her phone’s screen.

Gil’s hand smoothed his goatee. “Panda’s his favorite. G-His therapist’s had one since he was a kid.”

“Maybe not anymore,” Dani noted, shaking her head.

“I don’t know — he’ll probably want the souvenir,” JT joked, and it brought them all a solemn chuckle.

“Shame to lose the short leash riffs,” Dani admitted, rubbing her hands together.

“Microchip is still fair game,” Gil attempted to go along with the levity, sharing an upturn at the corner of his mouth.

“Wire him up like a metal detector that screams _danger, danger_ ,” JT added, blinking the siren with one of his hands.

“Your new job,” Dani teased. “Like that wouldn’t trip every five feet.”

The ghosts of smiles on their faces, they each got lost in their independent tasks again, coping with what could have been a deadly experience for their friend.

Malcolm’s phone buzzed in Dani’s pocket, interrupting her writing. Retrieving it, she said, “Guys?” And held the phone out in front of her so they could all see.

 _Next time it’ll be real — NS_.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this part deux only exists because of the wonderful kai <3

“I can’t think of anything I did to anger him,” Malcolm spoke, happy as could be in his hospital bed.

“Chopping off a hand bring anything to mind?” Gil said in frustration. He swapped the sheets balling and rubbing in Malcolm’s fist for a cup of jello.

“I’m not ready to eat yet,” Malcolm shared, looking at the cup.

“Squeeze it. You’re the picture of glee, but your hand’s almost raw,” Gil directed, revealing Malcolm had been found out. “Dani or JT come back since last night?”

“No.” Malcolm rolled his lip between his teeth. “Can I have my phone?”

“It’s in evidence.”

“Nico wouldn’t do this.” He squeezed the jello cup in his hand.

“You put him through body horror.” Gil paced toward him and then away again. “Reason for anyone to be angry.”

“He was scared,” Malcolm disagreed. “JT and I went back to talk to him, and he practically hid from me.”

“Did he show his face strapping you in?” Gil tried to get to his point another way.

“No — burly guy, white van,” Malcolm recounted.

“I’m just saying, keeping his distance still fits the MO.” Gil gestured one hand toward Malcolm, the other one still firmly at his hip.

“It’s not Nico,” Malcolm hit the blanket and stopped moving when his head spun.

Gil paused, looking over Malcolm to see what had changed, not finding anything more than a pinch of pain at his eyes. “Brainstorm with me who else it could be.”

Malcolm swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “I need to get outta here.”

“Woah — woah — woah.” Gil caught him before he fell and pressed him back into the mattress. Malcolm’s eyes closed, his limbs flimsy as Gil made sure he was in the bed in one piece. Gil pulled several stray pieces of glitter out of Malcolm's hair while he worked to relax.

“Matches a hit, not the guy trying to make a living,” Malcolm eked out, his eyes still closed, his breaths long and slow.

Between Malcolm’s pale face and his hand worrying at his mouth, Gil shoved the plastic bin at his bedside underneath his chin. Malcolm expelled the little he had in his stomach, spitting into the bin.

When Malcolm was finished, Gil took the bin away to wash it in the sink. Malcolm played with a napkin and a cup of water, trying to rid his mouth of the taste. Once he was satisfied, he spoke, “It’s more like my mother’s new fling. Suffocation in a hospital ring a bell?”

Gil turned his head around from the sink. “ _Bright_ , that was last week, I’m not senile.” Gil chuckled at his phrasing.

“Dani said you want to put a leash on me!” Malcolm accused back.

Gil stilled, the air no longer carrying the touch of funny it had had a moment ago. He turned off the sink and took a few moments looking into it collecting himself.

“Gil — “ Malcolm’s voice had a hint of apology in it.

Gil turned around. “Sorry, the you almost dying is going to take a bit for me to joke about.” Gil returned with the bin to sit at Malcolm’s bedside.

Malcolm turned the jello cup over and over in his hand, his other hand occupied with picking more glitter off of himself. “Think he used enough glitter?”

Gil rubbed his brow. “That he did.”

“Why not just kill me?” Malcolm momentarily abandoned the glitter so his free hand could move in front of him like he was solving the puzzle live in the air.

“Would make it pretty difficult to keep sleeping with your mother.” Gil ran his hand over his goatee, tugging on it tighter than he needed to. It still didn’t help him feel any less —

“I was probably _not_ supposed to tell you that,” Malcolm conceded.

Gil looked to the door. “He’s an asshole.” Who didn't deserve a strong woman like — Gil rolled the pads of his fingers together, practically feeling her smooth skin on his.

“And you’re — “ Malcolm reached for the right word. “Confused.”

Gil brought his hand over his mouth, brushed his cheek, dove into all his thoughts of Jessica like the big deluge that they were and he had forgotten how to swim.

“You deserve someone who brings you joy,” Malcolm commented, pulling him out of the flood when Malcolm’s words didn’t match Gil’s thoughts.

“How about not assuming my feelings?” Gil’s voice carried a bit of an edge, defending her.

Malcolm met his eyes, and Gil stopped fidgeting. “Be careful.”

Gil squinted a little bit in understanding. “It’s my job to tell you that.”

Malcolm tipped his hand back and forth. “Both of ours, I think.”

“This what you were trying to get me to talk about this whole time?” Gil asked, their conversation having covered a whole map of topics.

“No. I wanna go home.” The words Gil was surprised took so long to get to.

“Not today, kid.”

Malcolm started rolling the jello along the blanket instead of only squeezing it. “Was it really a panda bear?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think JT’ll use one of those on his kid?” As weird as the conversation paths went with Malcolm, Gil found them comforting because they told him he was okay — he sounded like his normal kid. Gil even found it pleasant to get a glimpse into how his mind worked.

“I think you should get him one and find out,” Gil stirred the pot. He could help give the kid a leg up every once in a while.

“Seems like a great gift,” Malcolm approved. Oh, to see the day JT would open that…

“Can we get back to who would have done this?” Gil redirected.

“It’s Nicholas,” Malcolm was resolute, tossing the jello back on the rolling table. “You gotta let me go home so he doesn’t kill me in this hospital.”

“ _If_ I follow this logic, and that’s a big if, he wouldn’t blow you up here,” Gil pointed out.

“He could just press me into this pillow.” Malcolm pulled the pillow out from under his head, making his skull thud to the bed and pain resound to his eyes. The gesture he was going to make complete forgotten, the pillow sat on top of his middle.

“How about I stay with you?” Gil offered. Someone had to make sure he didn’t hurt himself more before he could go home. And there was no way they had enough nursing staff to keep an eye on Mr. Troubleseeker.

“Hmm?”

“You’re kind of a wreck.” Gil gave a soft smile. “How about I sit with you for the night, make sure no Endicott goons — “ Gil waved his hands around. “ — come get you.”

“‘m yeah.”

Malcolm still wasn’t moving, seemingly in a daze from the slight drop. “Do I need to get the nurse?”

“’m fine.”

“Would you tell me if you weren’t?” Gil countered.

“Yeah.”

Gil sorta believed him. It was an improvement from no way in hell.

* * *

Phone buzzing in his pocket, Gil was woken from his nap in an uncomfortable hospital chair in the middle of the night. “Mm,” he answered, still not entirely with it.

“Gil — the chip inside that bear was manufactured by one of Endicott’s companies,” Dani’s voice came over the line.

“He’s a billionaire,” Gil whispered. “Has money in half the city.” Gil looked over Malcolm’s sleeping form, deciding he was still okay, and walking out into the hallway.

“The van’s a throwaway. No face on camera.”

“Bright’s convinced it’s Endicott.” He looked back toward the closed door behind him.

“I know — Stevens and Palmer have been out front all night.”

“Nothing, huh?”

“Actually — they have eyes on a Lincoln. Why I’m calling.”

“Have them talk to the driver,” Gil easily instructed.

“It’s not that.” Dani paused, not continuing any further.

“What then?” Gil prodded on the conversation.

“Bright’s Mother’s in the car.”

“That sonuvabitch,” he gritted out, forming a fist. If he hurt her —

“They don’t see Endicott. Vehicle doesn’t trace back to him either,” Dani detailed.

“There’s no way he’d get his hands dirty.” Anger bled into his words, and his feet started pacing so it would have somewhere to go instead of into the phone.

“Agreed. I would bet he’s inside, though.”

“Figure out where he is in the building,” Gil directed. Do _anything_ to put an end to this madness.

“We have nothing to tie to him.”

“It doesn’t have to be him. Find the hitman. Remind them it’s a matter of personal safety — one of their patients died by someone else’s hands in this hospital last week.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

* * *

An hour later, Gil’s phone buzzed again.

Dani started talking before he said hello. “We’ve got Endicott leaving with Mrs. Whitly. Guy he was talking with is on the way toward your floor carrying an IV bag — 5’10”-5’11” white male in a doctor’s coat. Does not match anyone on record with credentials. Stay with Bright. Hospital security is on standby, and JT’s on his way in with a team.”

“What — “ Gil started, but Dani cut him off.

“Nothing. Trust us — we’ve got this. Hide him away, and this’ll be over soon.”

Dani hung up before he could ask anything else.

* * *

Gil woke Malcolm and led him into the bathroom, hiding him on the floor of the meager shower. “Do not move,” Gil instructed.

“Pillow?” Malcolm inquired.

Gil quickly retrieved a pillow and rested it behind his back and head. Malcolm pulled the blanket he had dragged with him tighter around him.

“I’m good Gil — go get ‘em.” Malcolm smiled in a pep talk.

Gil closed the bathroom door behind him and took post at the main door, looking out into the hallway. His eyes sagged with exhaustion, but his heart thrummed with the excitement of looking for the suspect.

JT appeared from the stairwell, making eye contact with Gil and giving a slight nod in recognition. Gil panned the area again, finding a man who possibly fit the description far beyond the nurse’s desk. Gil tilted his chin up, pointing JT in that direction. JT went on comms, and then he was walking away from Gil down the hall.

There wasn’t an all out chase of the man through the hospital. Wasn’t screaming throughout the floor. Wasn’t cause for concern beyond the lockdown that restricted everyone to the floor at 4AM. There was only the quiet placing of cuffs on the man’s wrists and escorting him out of the building.

Dani called minutes later. “All clear — we’ll let you know what we get.”

Gil took a deep breath and went back in the room to retrieve Malcolm out of his haven in the bathroom.

* * *

“I was _right!_ “ Malcolm exclaimed, sipping his coffee in the conference room. Gil had managed to keep Malcolm home a whole three days before he showed up at the precinct.

“Not enough to stick to Endicott, though,” Dani reminded. “So don’t get too cocky. Still gotta keep an eye out.”

“He’ll do something dumb,” Malcolm assured.

“Like bring your mother to the scene to order a hit on you? Uh, _yeah_.” Gil shook his head at the stupidity. At least explanation of what they had seen got Jessica to agree not to see him again.

“You take her for dinner?” Malcolm’s eyes peeked over the top of his coffee cup, the rest of his face hidden.

Gil glared back. “Not here.”

“Bro — he’s not gonna let you out of the precinct,” JT cautioned.

Malcolm tipped his hand in disagreement. “Nah — I got rid of the leash.”

They all looked at each other as if seeking permission to laugh at the joke, and when Malcolm smirked, the whole room chuckled in unison.

"The bigger question is if I'll ever get rid of all the glitter," Malcolm poked fun at himself, getting the room to laugh again.

Dani acted like she was going to look through Malcolm's hair for more, and Malcolm batted her hand away.

“Did that panda head ever come out of evidence?” Malcolm asked.

“Now you’re pushing it,” Gil warned and tapped the table. “Let’s go — we all have paperwork to do.”

Gil walked back to his office and sat down at his desk. _Dinner?_ he texted Jessica and started on his stack of incident reports.

* * *

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> we've been talking about kid leashing bright since practically day one of the show, and after throwing out several reasons he might end up leashed with gil on the whump server the other day, the word association of strap and strap brought this new scenario to mind


End file.
